Unboxing May’s Ipsy & Play! by Sephora: Product Reviews

As I mentioned for April’s unboxing, both of these subscriptions are $10/month and you get five samples. Sometimes you get large samples, other times you get itty-bitty, depressingly small samples.

So I have tested most of these items, and we’re going to go through what I think about each of them: quality, purpose, size, etc.

ipsyI get my glam bag every month, and usually I am not disappointed. Sometimes I get products that are incredibly tiny, or products that just don’t really fit me, but nothing is going to be perfect every time. But $10/month is absolutely worth it. The only makeup products I have had to buy in the last few months are beauty blenders and makeup remover wipes… and I don’t really need to get those because I have received so many samples of makeup remover cleansers.
If you are interested in getting ipsy, you can go here and start receiving your monthly bags!

Before we start with each item, let’s just talk about the adorable bag for this month. I was weirded out, because there was tissue paper wrapped around it, but seeing the bag’s material, I can understand the extra security. It’s transparent and has adorable ice cream cartoons all over it, so it is very summer-y and sweet. I love it! Plus, I love getting the bags, because I use them to organize my 1,000 lbs of makeup.

Purlisse BB Tinted Moist Cream SPF 30 in the shadeLight
Admittedly, I am not a big BB cream fan. I like my heavy, full-coverage foundation, and BB creams just leave something to be desired. They always claim to leave you glowing, but I’m just really pasty, and I have basically no color in my skin, and if you tell me I’m going to “glow”, that just means I’m going to look shiny and gross.

Also, they gave me the light shade, because I am so pale, but it is supposed to be tinted… there was absolutely no tint whatsoever. It just blended in. Reviews seem positive for this product, but maybe it’s just not for me.
My sample size is .34 oz., and you can get 1.4 oz. for $35.00 here. That seems quite a bit for a BB cream. I mean, I don’t know if I would want to pay that for a foundation unless it was amazing.

Global Beauty Care Premium Charcoal Wash-Off MaskWhen I first pulled this product out, I was so excited! I feel like I always get peel-off masks, which are great, but I never get mud masks. I just love how they feel, and this one was the best I’ve had! It was so easy to apply. It wasn’t too thick or too thin, and felt light on my face. You’re supposed to wear it for 15 minutes, or until dry, and I think I left it on for about 20 minutes. I washed it off, with the assistance of a wash cloth, and my skin immediately felt so damn soft. It’s also great, because it is hypo-allergenic for my fellow sensitive skin sisters, and it is not tested on animals!
My sample size was 1 oz., in an incredibly convenient package, and you can purchase a 5 oz. size on the Global Beauty Website for $9.99. I imagine that would last you in a while, and it’s great stuff!

Royal & Langnickel Precision Angled BrushIt seems as though I get brushes pretty regularly in my glam bags, and although they are quality brushes, I should probably change my preferences to not get brushes for a while. However, this brush is very soft, which is awesome, and it seems well made.
I couldn’t find this exact brush even on their website, but I found a couple of them on ebay for around $7.00.

trèStiQue Mini Matte Lip Crayon in shade Tuscan Wine
Spoiler alert: I received another thing from this brand in my Sephora box.
This was the one product I was able to pick for my bag from ipsy… and I was really excited. Listen. I saw the shade color, looked at the color online, and thought this would be the perfect color for me. It’s darker, but not too dark. Well, I have some bad news for me… it’s a reddish pink color. I don’t think I’ve ever worn something so bright AND I have never had lip color to smear so quickly. Not wear off, but smear. So, the container makes it look like there is no lid, which I’ve always found to be an odd design, and the physical crayon does match that color, but it does not match what actually goes on your lips at all. Also, it’s a “crayon”, and it really feels like that. It’s smooth, but waxy.
So, this is a mini size, and they only sell this size in sets of three, and you can get them here for $32.00, including a small bag, or you can get a regular size for $28.00, which includes a lip balm.

Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter in the shade SinFirst of all, I feel like Sephora is usually the one to give me UD, so props to you ipsy! I also love trying new highlighters, because they are all so different, and I’ve had my fair share of terrible and excellent highlighters.
This highligher is fantastic. I’m glad they sent me this shade, because the others are much more pink, and that’s not really my jam. I do think you need to make sure to use setting spray or powder, because I think it might wear down if not.
My sample is fairly small, but it’s also powder highlighter, so it should last a little while. It is 0.08 oz., and you can find a full size (0.23 oz.) at the Urban Decay website for $26.00.

This bag wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it’s not terrible either! I’m the most excited for my mask and the highlighter, and it isn’t ipsy’s fault that the lip crayon color is misleading. I also did a rough estimation based on how much full size product is per ounce, and this Glam Bag is worth about $37.00!
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that this is an estimation regarding the products value, based on the selling price of the products they sell in stores. This is not an exact price, and most sample sizes are not sold separately, but they still hold value.

Play! by SephoraSephora’s beauty box is monthly, $10, and has 5 samples and a fragrance.
This month, we got an adorable bag, and it has a snap, instead of the ribbon drawstrings that I always seem to mess up.

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Clay CleanserSo this cleanser if supposed to be for normal to oily skin, that’s me, and is supposed to remove excess oil and visibly minimize pore size. That all sounds great, and it could very well do that, but I tried it, and I just wanted it off my face so badly, that I didn’t let it set at all. I just rubbed it in and rinsed it off. The smell was awful and the worst part, was that there was no clay consistency whatsoever. I was so excited to try it, because I was expecting a clay or mud consistency. The ingredients include two types of clay, but I think for something to be referred to as a “clay cleanser”, the final product should be more like clay.
This sample was 1 fl oz., and you can buy a 4.2 fl oz. size at Sephora for $45.00.

trèStiQue Mini Highlight Stick in the shade Maldives LuminescentI think this is the only shade, but it is great. I don’t think any other shades would sell as well, honestly. I love highlighter sticks, and I received a sample from another brand a couple months ago… and it broke. I was heartbroken. But this one has a better tip so that would be more difficult to do, and it’s a nicer color. I still don’t like the packaging of it looking like the product before you open it, but that’s okay. It will also easily fit in my makeup bag.
I don’t know the size of my sample, but on the trèStiQue website, you can purchase a full-size, which includes a perfecting sponge, for $34.00.

Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt
This product intrigues and confuses me. When I saw the container and saw that it was a scrub, I assumed it was for my face. I even took it in the bathroom to use on my face, went to look at the directions, then read “this purifying shampoo…” and I was immediately confused. It looks just like a facial scrub I have, and I can’t imagine putting it on my hair. However, it is for sensitive and oily scalps (me! me!), and it has no parabens or silicones. Unfortunately, it does have sulfates, but I’m willing to try it out. Plus, it has great reviews!
I was sent a 1.35 oz. container, but you can get this shampoo in an 8.33 oz. container for $53.00 on their website.

Maison Margiela ‘Replica’ in the scent Beach WalkI don’t really care about perfumes for the most part. I would rather get a makeup, hair care, or skin care sample. However, this is a pretty good one. I’ve received some I have liked, and some that I absolutely hated. This one is actually pretty good! It smells nice, but not in an “I’m trying to be 20 years older than I am”, nor is it “I bought this at Bath & Body Works with my allowance.” For specifics about this scent, you can find them here. My sample size is 0.04 oz. in a spray, but on the Sephora website you can buy a 0.34 oz. rollerball for $28.00 or a 3.4 oz. spray for a whopping $126.00. Right now, they are somehow out of stock of both of these sizes! Absolutely crazy.

NUDESTIX Magnetic Matte Lip Color in the shade GreystoneI am in a love/hate relationship with this lip stick. I was super excited to try a new color out, especially seeing the color of the tube, but it was pretty dark. I decided to try it out during the day, and I swear everyone was looking at me like a vampire just walked into the room. It might be better with heavier makeup on a fun night out… Probably not a great day time look.
I also decided to ferociously rub my finger against my lips right after I put it on, and nothing came off! It did wear off just a few minutes later though after I drank something, but that’s not incredibly surprising. But it is so dark, that if any of it wears off, it is definitely noticeable. I also think the color may have aged me a little bit, especially since I wasn’t wearing more makeup. I’m definitely going to try it again, but under different circumstances.
My sample tube is 0.088 oz. It looks like the regular size is bigger, but they don’t have numeric sizes listed any where to buy it. But, you can buy it from Sephora for $24.00.

Grande Lips Hydrating Lip PlumperSo, I find it interesting that this lip plumper didn’t burn, AND it is supposed to have long term benefits. It says for maximum results, use twice daily for 30 days, either alone or with other lip products, even before you go to bed. The benefits include (from a 30 day Volulip study) +51% hydration, +15% plumpness, +13% firmness, and +11% softness. I don’t know if this all will actually happen or not, but why not try? I have fairly thin lips, so I’ll take what I can get!
You can get your own 0.05 oz. product at Sephora for $27.00.

I couldn’t figure out the approximate price for three products, but with some estimation and a little guessing, this box was probably worth a little over $30!

Both of these boxes have been pretty good! Some great things and iffy things in both. Plus, both of them were worth way more than I paid for! $10 a piece and I got over $30 worth from both?! I’ll take that as a win!
Let me know what you think of some of the products and let me know if there is anything you would want to see here! Also, leave me your blogs/posts, and I will gladly check them out! 🙂

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Published by Amanda Jane

My name is Amanda, and I am originally from Southwestern Virginia. I'm technically a millennial, but I don't know enough of the lingo. I love cats, true crime, and the color black.
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